À l’origine du Nord, le chemin de la Chine
Europeans, almost immediately upon arrival, perceived America as an obstacle to be crossed. Their first grand illusion of the American North (Canada) was to underestimate the vastness of its continental dimension. For more than a century, Sébastien Cabot, Henry Hudson, Thomas James and others, seeki...
Published in: | Cahiers de géographie du Québec |
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Main Author: | |
Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | unknown |
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Consortium Erudit
2005
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Online Access: | http://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cgq/1996-v40-n110-cgq2682/022569ar.pdf https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cgq/1996-v40-n110-cgq2682/022569ar.pdf https://doi.org/10.7202/022569ar https://www.erudit.org/fr/revues/cgq/1996-v40-n110-cgq2682/022569ar/ https://core.ac.uk/display/59288957 https://academic.microsoft.com/#/detail/2080452581 https://id.erudit.org/iderudit/022569ar |
Summary: | Europeans, almost immediately upon arrival, perceived America as an obstacle to be crossed. Their first grand illusion of the American North (Canada) was to underestimate the vastness of its continental dimension. For more than a century, Sébastien Cabot, Henry Hudson, Thomas James and others, seeking a passage to Asia, imagined the South Sea (Pacific Ocean) to be much closer to the North Sea (Atlantic) than it was in reality. For Champlain, in particular, this quest lay at the center of his mission to America. The idea of temporary settlement while awaiting a better place to go became a founding myth of Canada (Québec). From the very beginning, European explorers saw Canada as a mere place of transit to somewhere else. À peine abordée par les Européens, l'Amérique, du moins celle du Nord, est perçue comme un obstacle qu'il faut franchir. La première grande illusion du Nord américain (le Canada) est de sous-estimer l'étendue continentale en cherchant le passage vers l'Asie, le chemin de la Chine. Pendant plus d'un siècle, pour Sébastien Cabot, Henry Hudson, Thomas James et d'autres plus tard, la mer du Sud (Pacifique) est pressentie à proximité des côtes de la mer du Nord (Atlantique). Champlain, particulièrement, fait de cette quête de la Chine, l'objectif fondamental de son oeuvre américaine. C'est aussi le premier mythe fondateur québécois (canadien), celui de l'établissement provisoire. Dès les premières explorations européennes, le Nord est d'abord un passage. |
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